What Makes “Funny” Funny? Elements of Comedy

in Literature

While it is clear that ”sense of humor” varies widely among individuals and groups, it is the presence of one or more of the universal characteristics of humor that make events more likely to be perceived as funny by the observer. Among the universal characteristics that may produce a humorous response are the experiences of . . .

DIRECTIONS:

• Each of the following images are intended to be

humorous in some way. They are titled What’s So Funny? Look at each and try to determine

what makes it funny.

• Then advance to the next slide to learn which

ELEMENT OF COMEDY is at play in the image.

• Lastly, quiz yourself on “funny,” and support your

answer using the language and terminology

you’ll learn in this tutorial.

What’s So Funny?

This image is

intended to have a

humorous effect.

Study it, and try to

determine what

makes it funny.

Why is this funny?

Elements of Comedy Incongruity – Out of place

or out of keeping. Not

harmonious, dissonant. In

this case a harmless

childhood character is

juxtaposed with a historical

dangerous terrorist.

Incongruity causes

disturbances in one’s

cognitive system that

causes you to pause,

consider or reflect.

Irony (a) characterized by

sarcasm or mockery

(b) unexpected (c) an ironic

event is an incongruous one

at odds with what might

have been expected.

Review the 3 Types of Irony on the next slide.

Verbal Irony • When a character says one things but means another, or when a literal meaning

is contrary to its intended effect. An example of this is “sarcasm.”

• The main thing that sets this kind of irony apart from others is that it is used by a

speaker intentionally. It occurs in a conversation where a person aims to be

understood as meaning something different to what his or her words literally mean.

• Examples of verbal irony include:

“Thanks for the ticket officer; you just

made my day!”

“I can’t wait to read the seven hundred

page report.”

In the above examples, irony is used

to show someone’s frustration

or disappointment.

• There are two types of verbal irony: Overstatement – when a person

exaggerates the character of

something.

Understatement – when a person

undermines the character of

something.

Dramatic Irony

• This is the contrast between what the character knows and what we (the reader

or audience) already knows to be true.

• Sometimes as we read we are placed in the position of knowing more than what

one character knows. Because we know something the character does not, we

read to discover how the character will react when he or she learns the truth of the

situation. Think: every TV drama series you watch weekly! Another good example is

in a movie where a detective does not know that the criminal responsible for the

crimes in the city is his partner. The audience however is already aware of this fact

and waits anxiously to know what will happen once the character finds out what they

already know.

• A form of dramatic irony in which

a character who is about to

become a victim of disaster uses

words that have one meaning to

him and quite another to the

spectator who is already aware

of the real situation is called

TRAGIC IRONY.

Situation Irony It involves a discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

Situation irony occurs when the exact opposite of what is meant to happen, happens.

An example would be when someone buys a gun to protect himself, but the same gun is

used by another individual to injure him. One would expect that the gun would keep him

safe, but it has actually caused him injury.

There is however a difference between situation irony and coincidence or bad luck.

When someone washes his car

and it rains, that is just bad luck;

nothing led him or her to think that

it would not rain. However, when

a TV weather presenter gets

caught in an unexpected storm,

it is ironic because he or she is

expected to know the exact

weather changes.

For situation irony to occur there

has to be something that leads a

person to think that a particular

event or situation is unlikely

happen.

What’s So Funny?

This image is intended to have a humorous effect.

Study it, and try to determine what makes it funny.

Why is this funny?

Elements of Comedy

• Element of Surprise –A fast food restaurant in the middle of

nowhere is a surprise. When we are mildly surprised or tricked, the

experience may result in our feeling delighted. • Satire – McDonalds empire is world dominating (Corporatizing of the

world) because it’s even on Mars.

What’s So Funny?

This image is intended to have a humorous effect.

Study it, and try to determine what makes it funny.

Why is this funny?

Elements of Comedy

Getting it -- For some individuals, it is not the incongruity, the

surprise, or being startled that is funny, but it is simply the “getting

it.” Sometimes it is the cognitive appreciation, or the joy of “solving”

the twist in the situation that is experienced as humorous.

What’s So Funny?

These TV Shows – MTV’s Jackass and The Three Stooges – are

intended to have a humorous effect.

Study the stills from the shows, and try to determine . . .

. . . What makes these performances funny?

PERFORMANCE of Comedy

Repetition – Whether the repetition is visual, a repeated line, or a repeated action, repetition draws

attention to the thing that is intended to be humorous.

Rule of 3 – A joke is manifested three times. More than that is “milking” the laugh, and less than

that is not yet establishing it as a joke or an important bit.

Comic Timing – is the use of rhythm, tempo and pausing to enhance comedy and humor. The

pacing of the delivery of a joke can have a strong impact on its comedic effect, even altering its meaning; the same can also be true of more physical comedy such as slapstick.

No Permanent Harm (slapstick) – Audiences can enjoy prat falls and physical comedy if they are

sure there is no permanent harm done.

Exaggeration, Overstatement, Understatement – These types of exaggeration generally

provide irony and create a ridiculous effect. Ridiculousness is a stimulus that results in some

absurd, ridiculous, or ludicrous perception that is experienced as humorous

Test Yourself DIRECTIONS: There are multiple ways to identify the

comedic effect. For example, incongruity is a form of

irony. So, for each item, decide which comedic effect is

predominantly featured, and use the terminology you

learned to support your claim.

Test Yourself

Test Yourself

Test Yourself

Test Yourself

Test Yourself